Royal Family

Kate Middleton either wasn't aware or simply didn't care about the suggested all-black dress code for Time's Up at the BAFTA Awards -- 'cause she went another way.

Kate and Prince William attended the annual award show Sunday in England, hitting the red carpet in a dark green gown while her hubby rocked a classic black tux.

It's a notable fashion choice, especially since most of the big stars of the night stuck to the blackout we saw during the Golden Globes. Actresses that wore black include Angelina Jolie, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence, Naomie Harris, Lupita Nyong'o, Salma Hayek, Octavia Spencer and others.

Whether she didn't get the memo, or just didn't want to weigh in on a controversial issue ... Kate definitely made a statement.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have touched down in Canada to start production on a new Lifetime movie about their love affair -- or at least the actors playing them have.

The actors playing the couple in "Harry & Meghan: The Royal Love Story" were spotted Wednesday in downtown Vancouver, where they're shooting the film -- and ya gotta compare 'em to the real deal.

Parisa Fitz-Henley seems to be getting a green light on social media for her resemblance to Meghan. Murray Fraser, on the other hand, might not be getting double takes for the right reason. Good looking guy and all, but he's no Prince of Wales.

The movie's about the story of how Harry and Meghan fell for each other ... way back in 2016. 'Memba that?

Megan Markle is fitting in across the pond right down to her plaid when it comes to accompanying Prince Harry on royal duty.

The couple's in Edinburgh, Scotland Tuesday and shook hands with locals after being greeted by the Royal Regiment of Scotland's mascot, Cruachan. Cruachan's a Shetland pony and comes with its own handler, Pony Major Mark Wilkinson.

They didn't engage with the tiny horse long before making small talk with folks outside Edinburgh Castle who showered Meghan with gifts and waved flags with the couple's mug on them.

Prince William and Kate Middleton slapped around some balls on the ice this week -- but don't call what they're doing hockey ... 'cause it ain't quite that.

The Prince and the Duchess of Cambridge were seen getting their bandy on Tuesday in Sweden, where they were on a Royal visit from the UK. While there, they were seen hanging with Stockholm team Hammarby IF and trying out the sport first-hand.

It's basically a European version of American hockey -- except they use balls instead of pucks ... apparently with the same slapshot techniques, though.

Meghan Markle's on her way to joining the Royal Family, but before that, she had her sights set on becoming queen ... of the lollipop biz.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Meghan and a friend filed trademark paperwork back in 2012 for the term "Lali" -- with the apparent intention of selling their own line of lollipops and drops.

It evidently never panned out, because a little more than 2 years later they abandoned their trademark application ... and haven't filed anything since.

Good news for Markle, though -- if she ever wants to revive the "Lali" pops ... Royal protocol won't get in her way.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were late, but worth the wait for their first official visit to Wales.

The royal couple arrived at the iconic Cardiff Castle Thursday in the capital city of Wales, a pretty personal visit, of course -- he was born to the Prince and Princess of Wales. The overflowing crowd was all smiles when Harry and Meghan stepped out to greet their subjects.

Afterward, H&M headed inside the castle and joined a festival to celebrate Welsh culture.

Turns out Queen Elizabeth ain't so down with her crown, after all.

QE2 caused a bit of an uproar in the U.K. during her first sit-down interview with the BBC ... because she damn near bounced her crown. You gotta see her attempt to lift the crown, only to quickly drop it, saying ... "It weighs a ton."

The Queen makes it seem like she hasn't seen her crown in years and, in fact, couldn't tell the front from the back. Can ya blame HRH?

Family jewels can be confusing ... and heavy.

No, you're not watching an episode of "Royal ER" starring Prince William ... dude actually scrubbed up and joined surgeons in the operating room of a cancer hospital in London.

The future King of England sat in on a robotic surgery at Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea. The hospital was one of the first in London to use the technology on cancerous tumors, and since Wills followed in his late mom footsteps as the president of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, he got to see the bot firsthand Wednesday at work.

Meghan Markle's not the only one in her family planning a wedding -- but her half-brother's might be on hold after his fiancee got busted for assaulting him.

Darlene Blount was arrested in Oregon Sunday night -- just before midnight, actually -- after what cops describe as a booze-fueled altercation. Blount was booked for 4th degree assault about 4 hours into 2018. Happy new year!

Darlene is engaged to Thomas Markle, Meghan's half-brother. They have the same father, but don't appear to be close anymore. Thomas told the Daily Mail -- which first reported the arrest -- he hasn't seen Meghan since 2011 when she moved to take her role in "Suits."

Meghan Markle has nothing standing in her way if she ever wants to start a beauty line once she joins the royal family.

Reports surfaced Tuesday that Markle was partnering up with Victoria Beckham on a bio-botox line, but we're told they're completely untrue.

Palace sources tell us Meghan's future royal status won't prevent her from diving into her own business once she's married to Prince Harry. There are no U.K. laws that prohibit a member of the royal family from having a side hustle. All she has to do is follow the same rules as the normies, and she's good to go.

And, we're told, Royal protocol does not prohibit business ventures by someone in Markle's position. The Countess of Wessex, who married Prince Edward, ran a PR company after becoming a royal fam member.

Meghan had run her own lifestyle blog, The Tig, but shut it down after 3 years.

The Christmas snapshot of the Royal Fab Four seen 'round the world -- taken by a single mother -- has already generated thousands of dollars ... and there's more to come.

TMZ has learned the photo taken by Karen Anvil -- a less-than-amateur photog -- has already raked in about 5,000 pounds in the U.K. from licensing. That's about $6,700 in USD.

We're told that money is just from one of eight territories the photo's being circulated in so far -- the figures for the other territories, which includes the U.S., haven't been fully calculated yet. However, we're told Karen is in for a "very happy New Year."

As for Karen ... she tells us she plans to use part of that dough to pay for her daughter's college tuition -- as well as to pay for a U.S. trip for the kid's 18th birthday.

Scottie Pippen has President Obama's back when it comes to basketball -- saying #44 is absolutely RIGHT picking Michael Jordan over LeBron James.

Remember, Obama went with MJ over LBJ during a rapid fire question session with Prince Harry -- saying he "loves" LeBron ... but ultimately he's gotta go with His Airness.

Pippen agrees ... and referred us back to a recent interview where he told us HE'S better than LeBron too!

"LeBron ain't better than me until he gets 6 titles."

Prince Harry did what American journalists have been itching to do for a year ... interview President Barack Obama post presidency.

Harry was guest hosting the "Today" radio show Wednesday and played his interview with Obama, part of which was a lightning round of pretty funny questions, including ...

-- Boxers or briefs

-- LeBron or Jordan

-- Aretha or Tina

-- Kim or Khloe (this one's interesting)

-- Harry or William

-- "Suits" or "The Good Wife"

-- The Rock or Chris Rock (again, interesting)

The interview was recorded in September during the Invictus Games when the 2 became buds.

Obama also talked about the dangers of a president hopping on social media ... he didn't mention Trump by name, but it was pretty obvious.

Add Gloria Allred to the list of people pumped for another Royal Wedding in May ... because she's a huge Meghan Markle fan.

The famed women's rights attorney tells TMZ she's stoked Prince Harry's marrying a feminist, and hopes she'll rub off on him. She says Meghan has a chance to truly change the world in her new role ... far beyond just the normal photo ops.

As for Markle's history of fighting for women's equality ... Gloria refers to a story of an 11-year-old Meghan speaking out against a sexist dish soap commercial in 1993 and writing letters to powerful women -- including Allred -- to make a difference.

And it worked. Yeah ... seems like Harry's found a good one.

Princess Michael says she's sorry the racially insensitive brooch she wore to the Queen's lunch -- attended by Meghan Markle -- was offensive ... and we're told she vows never to wear it again.

Simon Astaire, a spokesperson for the wife of the Queen's cousin, tells TMZ ... she's "very sorry and distressed" she wore her Blackamoor brooch to the Xmas shindig. We're told it was a gift she's worn many times before, without controversy.

A source connected to Kensington Palace tells us Princess Michael was not trying to insult Meghan or any people of color. The source says she's learned her lesson, and is going to retire the brooch for good.

As we reported ... this was Meghan's first Christmas lunch hosted by the Queen. It was not Princess Michael's first controversial incident involving race. She allegedly told a group of African-American diners in a New York restaurant to "go back to the colonies" in 2004. She made things worse when she explained she views people in Africa as "adorable."

This is a fine hello for Meghan Markle ... she attended her first Christmas Lunch hosted by the Queen, and one of the Royals thought it was a good idea to wear a piece of jewelry that disparages people of color.

Princess Michael, who is married to one of the Queen's cousins, was seen arriving at the Buckingham Palace soiree wearing a Blackamoor brooch. It's an 18th Century antique that many think signifies racial conquest. It features a dark-skinned man wearing a turban ... the line of jewelry is known for its depictions of people of color in positions of servitude.

Meghan is biracial and has been outspoken about her experiences with racism. She did not sit at the same table as Princess Michael and we don't know if they exchanged words, but it's an intimate gathering.